Higher Emotion Dysregulation and Coping Motives in Alcoholand Marijuana Users

Abstract

Background Prior research indicates that difficulties in emotion regulation may contribute to the use of substances (e.g. alcohol and marijuana) to alleviate negative affect. Therefore, we hypothesized that coping motives for alcohol and marijuana use would serve as an intermediary in the relationship between emotion dysregulation and alcohol/marijuana-related outcomes. Methods: The sample comprised 241 college students who used both alcohol and marijuana and 378 college students who used alcohol only. Parallel indirect effects models were estimated to test the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation is associated with alcohol and marijuana use/problems through alcohol and marijuana coping motives. Results: Coping motives were consistently identified as the driving intermediary when it came to alcohol and marijuana problems, as well as marijuana consumption. Enhancement motives were only implicated in the relationship between emotion dysregulation and alcohol consumption among the alcohol-only group. Conclusion: Overall, the pattern of results suggests that, as hypothesized, alcohol and/or marijuana users higher in emotion dysregulation are more likely to use alcohol or marijuana to alleviate negative affect. Although further research is warranted, individuals who use substances for coping purposes may benefit from interventions designed to improve emotion regulation skills.